microenvironment

[ mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-muhnt, -vahy-ruhn- ]

/ ˌmaɪ kroʊ ɛnˈvaɪ ərn mənt, -ˈvaɪ rən- /

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noun

the environment of a small area or of a particular organism; microhabitat.

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Origin of microenvironment

First recorded in 1950–55; micro- + environment

OTHER WORDS FROM microenvironment

mi·cro·en·vi·ron·men·tal

[mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-men-tl, -vahy-ruhn-], /ˌmaɪ kroʊ ɛnˌvaɪ ərnˈmɛn tl, -ˌvaɪ rən-/, adjective

Words nearby microenvironment

microelectrode, microelectronics, microelectrophoresis, microencapsulation, microencephaly, microenvironment, microerythrocyte, microevolution, microfarad, microfauna, microfiber

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use microenvironment in a sentence

Egeblad does it in a Fantastic Voyage style—by watching what the cells in the tumor microenvironment do.
Triggering the Body’s Defenses to Fight Cancer - Issue 108: Change|Lina Zeldovich|November 3, 2021|Nautilus
Understanding the tumor microenvironment has other potentials.
Triggering the Body’s Defenses to Fight Cancer - Issue 108: Change|Lina Zeldovich|November 3, 2021|Nautilus
Each organelle makes up a microenvironment, so they can function semi-independently.
Scientists Create Artificial Mitochondria That Can Make Energy for Damaged Cells|Shelly Fan|September 21, 2021|Singularity Hub

British Dictionary definitions for microenvironment

microenvironment

/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊɪnˌvaɪrənmənt) /

noun

ecology the environment of a small area, such as that around a leaf or plant

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for microenvironment

microenvironment

[ mī′krō-ĕn-vī′rən-mənt ]

The environment of a very small, specific area, distinguished from its immediate surroundings by such factors as the amount of incident light, the degree of moisture, and the range of temperatures. The side of a tree that is shaded from sunlight is a microenvironment that typically supports a somewhat different community of organisms than is found on the side that receives regular light. Also called microhabitat